Nearly everyone who follows food trucks has heard of the Kogi BBQ truck.  It was one of the first “gourmet” food trucks in the country, and a visionary in the Korean BBQ taco movement.  They are so successful, there are now 4 Kogi BBQ trucks serving food around the LA/Orange County area, and I believe they have a storefront now too.

Kogi BBQ was on the “must try” list for this trip, and I had a chance to try them last night when they were parked by the Amoeba Music store in Hollywood.  I found parking a couple of spaces behind the truck, and walked up to check things out.

Kogi BBQ is best known for their Korean BBQ tacos, so that was my focus, with a small detour for a Kogi dog.

The first thing on the menu to catch my eye was a calamari taco ($3).  I like calamari a lot, but it has to be done right or it can be too chewy.  That was my main concern.

calamari taco

The calamari was put over some greens on top of 2 tortillas, and was topped with a sweet chili sauce.  Crushed peanuts and sesame seeds were sprinkled over the top.  Wow, this looked so good I almost didn’t want to eat it – but I came to my senses and took a bite.

The calamari taco tasted as good as it looked.  The calamari were “naked”, not breaded, and they were as tender as they should be.  The sweet chili sauce played off the calamari perfectly, although a decent amount of liquid came out the back end when I took a bite.  Good thing there were plenty of napkins available.

spicy pork taco

The next thing I tried was the spicy pork taco ($2.10).  This taco had pieces of pork in a nice BBQ sauce, and it was covered with Kogi’s kimchi salad (kimchi, lettuce and scallions).  Neither the “spicy pork” nor the kimchi salad was particularly spicy, but that could have been because my taste buds were nearly demolished by the very spicy basil beef I had for lunch.  This taco was pretty good, but I didn’t think it was amazing like the calamari taco.

Kogi dog

After seeing the Kogi dog on the menu ($5), that was my next selection.  It consisted of a grilled hot dog with cheese, sesame mayo and kimchi salad on a toasted bun.  The Kogi dog was really big and wide, which made it a bit tough to eat – but I managed.  These toppings went really well with the hot dog, but once again, it was not spicy at all.  The kimchi was mixed with lettuce and scallions, but had no heat at all.  Next time I would put some sriracha sauce on top (which was available at the truck).

The Kogi dog filled me up pretty good, but there was one more thing I wanted to try – a short rib taco ($2.10), which is Kogi’s single most famous dish.

short rib taco

Now this was more like it!  The short ribs were barbecued with a tangy BBQ sauce, and this taco was also topped with kimchi salad.  The meat was tender and really tasty, and the kimchi salad was a good supporting player in this taco.  I can see why it’s their most popular dish.

Was Kogi BBQ as amazing as the press makes them out to be?  I thought the calamari taco and short rib taco were, and the spicy pork taco and Kogi dog were good, but not quite at the same level.

If I get a chance to try Kogi again, I would probably try a short rib burrito, although they had some interesting quesadillas too.   Choosing what to get next from Kogi BBQ is a problem I would like to have

Buttermilk Truck

Mainstreet.com recently published a list of their choices for the best food trucks in America.  While there are the usual suspects such as Calexico Carne Asada (not actually a food truck) and Dessert Truck (which is now a storefront) in New York and Kogi Korean BBQ, Skillet and Buttermilk Truck in L.A., there were a few left-field choices too.  Click here to see them, as well as to read a (very) short history of food trucks.

It’s nice to see some lesser-known food trucks getting props.  Food Shark (Marfa, TX), The Chef Shack (Minneapolis, MN) and Sweetflow Mobile (Washington DC) get some love here too.

However, our favorite part of the article is their short history of food trucks:

“Food trucks have been around for decades.  Actually, if you consider the chuck wagon, created in 1866, mobile eateries have been around for well over a century.  Of course, the first diner, established in 1872, was actually a food truck.  Creator Walter Scott parked his horse-drawn freight wagon in front of the Providence Journal offices and sold hard-boiled eggs and sandwiches to its workers.” [mainstreet.com]

Gotta love the chuck wagon shout-out.

Chuck Wagon

]]> http://newyorkstreetfood.com/6907/one-sites-take-on-the-best-food-trucks/feed/ 0 http://newyorkstreetfood.com/1249/entering-the-food-truck-business/ http://newyorkstreetfood.com/1249/entering-the-food-truck-business/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:54:27 +0000 admin http://newyorkstreetfood.com/?p=1249

In an article in the Wall Street Journal, it was reported that restaurateurs seeking an extra boost in sales or entrepreneurs looking to sell food without paying rent are hitting the streets in record numbers.  From their kitchens-on-wheels, they’re serving everything from crème brulee to rotisserie chicken – and customers are gobbling it up.

When it comes to the street food scene, “in the last couple of years, there’s been a groundswell of innovation,” says Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project at the nonprofit Urban Justice Center in New York, who regularly teaches a “Street Food Vending 101” class. “It’s great to have a variety of food,” he says. “Why not have every culture represented in the streets, from hot dogs to caviar?”

The WSJ recommends the three best ways to start a food-truck business:

1. Buy a used truck for cheap. While a hot-dog cart costs about $2,000 to buy, refurbished trucks can run $40,000 and upwards, since they have to be built according to health-department regulations. Kim Ima, owner of the Treatsr Truck of New York, which sells cookies, brownies and other baked goods, found a used vehicle for sale on eBay in fall 2006 and bought it for less than $20,000. Laurent Katgely, proprietor of French restaurant Chez Spencer in San Francisco, started a food-truck business called “Spencer on the Go” after picking up a $15,000 vehicle from a former burrito seller. Mr. Katgely sells take-away frog legs, sweetbreads, ratatouille and escargot.

2. Find a good location to sell your food. Getting a permit for your truck can be tough since certain cities have a cap. For example, New York limits permits to about 3,000 and the waiting list for them can run as long as 10 to 15 years, says Mr. Basinski. (Renting, borrowing or obtaining a permit on the black market is illegal, he adds.) Plus, some cities don’t allow trucks to be located in certain business districts and streets because they would affect surrounding restaurants or disrupt residential areas. Fortunately for Mr. Katgely, he doesn’t need to apply for a permit. He owns the parking lot where “Spencer on the Go” is located most of the time. It’s seven blocks from the restaurant, and he keeps menus in the truck to give to customers and direct them to Chez Spencer.

3. Use social-networking technology. Many of the new food trucks alert followers about where they’re located or what daily specials they’re serving at a certain time through Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Tweets or status updates can also help groom a loyal customer base. Mr. Katgely tweets from @chezspencergo to tell followers where and when the truck can be found. So far, the mobile business is paying off: Mr. Katgely says he makes a 50% profit on sales from the vending truck vs. 10% from his restaurant. [WSJ]

Opening a food truck may not be a road paved with riches, but it can provide a way for chefs to reach people without having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for rent and renovations.  It was recently reported that the Kogi BBQ truck in LA grossed $2 million last year, and a 50% profit on trucks vs. 10% in a restaurant is another decent argument for the food truck business.

Border Grill Truck

We recently told you about some great street food in SF.  Here’s some Left Coast street food love courtesy of NBC’s LA affiliate, who highlight:

@Marked5 (“Japanese Style Burgers”)

@BorderGrill (“Gourmet tacos” and more)

@COOLHAUS (gourmet ice cream sammies)

@kogibbq (Korean BBQ Taco Truck)

@Letsbefrank (“Grass Fed Beef Hot Dogs”)

Next time you’re in the City of Angels, make sure to check out these great food trucks. [NBC LA]